A Central Florida mother was sentenced for a cycle of neglect and abuse.
All three children lived in the DeLand home in Volusia County. “A mother’s sacred duty is to love and protect her children—not to viciously beat, torture, and demean them,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza stated of the case.
During a recent hearing, defendant Taylor Schaefer was sentenced to 60 years in jail. Last year, she entered a no contest plea to 25 felony charges, which included multiple instances of aggravated child abuse, kidnapping, and tampering with a witness in a life criminal proceeding.
Schaefer reported on May 9, 2023, that her live-in boyfriend and co-defendant, Shawn Stone, was abusing her five-year-old kid while she was away, as seen on home surveillance footage.
The footage shows Stone beating and striking the small child with a mop after a bedwetting incident. He was severely battered and sustained a cracked skull. Child Protective Services (CPS) reported 46 visible injuries following the medical evaluation.
Following Stone’s arrest, detectives discovered a pattern of neglect and abuse among the three children living in the DeLand residence in Volusia County.
Home video surveillance and an interview with the oldest child revealed that Schaefer knew about Stone’s neglect and abuse but did not interfere or protect them. Text conversations between the co-defendants also revealed that the mother took part in the neglect and abuse.
“It is a brutal reality that some mothers commit shamefully violent and cruel acts upon their children,” stated State Attorney R.J. Larizza. “God bless and keep these children as they navigate through life after suffering such atrocities.”
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office investigated the Central Florida case. Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Stratis successfully prosecuted the case for the State of Florida. The Honorable Kathleen McNeilly heard the case and issued the sentence.
The case against Stone is still pending.
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